Kittens at Saratoga

[fishermouse]

WDW is surrounded by residential areas as well as many vacation homes, stray cats as well as wandering pets are sure to make there way onto the properties. They will then multiply like cats do, really not much anyone can do to stop it until people learn to spay or nueter their pets. WDW can set traps and turn them over to SCPA and at best keep the population down, unfortunatly most of the ones they catch will be killed. I purposly use killed instead of "put down" or my favorite "put to sleep" I plan on waking up when I go to sleep. Irresponsible pet owners are the only ones to blame here I personally would love to see harsh penalties for pet abandoment. Some places do use cats to control rodent populations, this is a common practice, but they generally use spayed or neutered adults. WDW may permit a controled number to roam for that purpose. Makes no sense to replace a rodent overpopulation with a feline overpopulation. Last but not least, just ignore the cats don't make baby talk to them pet, or feed them, don't bother calling the froint desk I'm sure they already know and are working on it behind the scenes. There are humane ways of catching strays and since Disney is a very big sponsor of wildlife conservation I hope they are using them. Seeing a cat grabbed by a snare collar would go a long way to killing the magic for our little ones, unfortunatly it is the safest way to handle any annimal you know nothing about. You should never have physical contact with a strange annimal

 

[autumnl78]

we are at saratoga in 2 weeks. as im sitting here reading this thread to my husband we're both just sad that the animals are there when they should be in homes. knowing that my bff and i are huge animal lovers, does anyone have the number of a good no kill down there that if we come across a 4 legged visitor we can call them instead of the humane society? nothing against the humane society, but i know based on numbers in the building they can only keep an animal so long etc. our latest baby who is cleaning her face is a humane society girl, but we also have 3 no kill babys, and a "we have to take her home and bottle feed her honey or she'll be put down cause the vet doesnt have a crew to care for her and the no kills are full" baby. anyhow any numbers/group names would be nice to have to take with us. thanks!

 

[Slakk]

WDW is surrounded by residential areas as well as many vacation homes, stray cats as well as wandering pets are sure to make there way onto the properties. They will then multiply like cats do, really not much anyone can do to stop it until people learn to spay or nueter their pets. WDW can set traps and turn them over to SCPA and at best keep the population down, unfortunatly most of the ones they catch will be killed. I purposly use killed instead of "put down" or my favorite "put to sleep" I plan on waking up when I go to sleep. Irresponsible pet owners are the only ones to blame here I personally would love to see harsh penalties for pet abandoment. Some places do use cats to control rodent populations, this is a common practice, but they generally use spayed or neutered adults. WDW may permit a controled number to roam for that purpose. Makes no sense to replace a rodent overpopulation with a feline overpopulation. Last but not least, just ignore the cats don't make baby talk to them pet, or feed them, don't bother calling the froint desk I'm sure they already know and are working on it behind the scenes. There are humane ways of catching strays and since Disney is a very big sponsor of wildlife conservation I hope they are using them. Seeing a cat grabbed by a snare collar would go a long way to killing the magic for our little ones, unfortunatly it is the safest way to handle any annimal you know nothing about. You should never have physical contact with a strange annimal

As an owner of three rescue cats including one feral I cannot agree more. I do not understand how people cannot be responsible pet owners - they are the reason why I end up with unadoptable problem animals (the ones I know no normal person would adopt). Did I mention the 8 year old ex-puppy mill Maltese who cannot be potty trained because she lived her life in a crate? Yeah two rescue dogs as well.

Spay and Nueter and if you cannot afford to do thay and maintenance on your four legged family member DO NOT GET ONE!

 

[Muushka]

we are at saratoga in 2 weeks. as im sitting here reading this thread to my husband we're both just sad that the animals are there when they should be in homes. knowing that my bff and i are huge animal lovers, does anyone have the number of a good no kill down there that if we come across a 4 legged visitor we can call them instead of the humane society? nothing against the humane society, but i know based on numbers in the building they can only keep an animal so long etc. our latest baby who is cleaning her face is a humane society girl, but we also have 3 no kill babys, and a "we have to take her home and bottle feed her honey or she'll be put down cause the vet doesnt have a crew to care for her and the no kills are full" baby. anyhow any numbers/group names would be nice to have to take with us. thanks!

Great question, Autumn! If we don't get any answers here, maybe we could pose the question over on the CB for the locals there.

The problem today, as you know (and for many yesterdays), is that the no-kills get overloaded and they simply cannot take any more. I volunteer at one presently (and in the past) and I see this place having too many cats for the number of volunteers, but the kind lady who runs it has a hard time saying no. So she works until midnight to care for all the kitties. So sad.

So, for me, here is the rub. Which is worse: allowing cats to roam and reproduce, making the population even worse, or: if a no-kill slot is not available, taking them to the SPCA and risk the chance that the cat will be put down.

Honestly, as a cat (and actually all animals) lover, I struggle with that situation. In my heart, I don't want to see a cat put down and in my brain, I don't want to see them multiply.

So, we will find out the answer to your great question, eventually. Also, if I do get the name of no-kill shelters and the situation comes up that I do call when I am down there and they come, a nice donation to the shelter would be in order .

PS Autumn, we will be at SSR at the same time, as we are checking in 2 weeks from tomorrow. We will be on a mission together!

 

[autumnl78]

muushka- we're there the 9/30-10/7. i went on google and found this no kill in the area.

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/anewbeginning.html

i may drop them an email this week and say, hey if we find a kitty will yall pick it up even if we have to take it over to downtown or somewhere near by since i know you have to have a card to drive into saratoga, just to make sure the kritters have a chance its worth a little time i think.
i agree, the struggle between overpopulation and adoption is huge. im 28 and my best friend (who will be with us as well as 3 others) and i have a "life plan" to start a no kill together. once we get back from disney we want to start volunteering with the no kill we got 2 of my cats from, sadly i dont think we can temp home them as ill just get to attached but we plan on working their adoption days and helping them raise money etc.
and to those who are going to fuss at me, yes i realize these are technically wild animals they can and/or do carry disease etc. but as an adult id rather take that risk than have some kid just run up to a stray and take that risk.

 

[Muushka]

I looked at the site. It looks like they don't have a physical shelter, they send them to foster homes. If you find out that the cats can be dropped off, PM me with the info and we can work something out. Poor kitties!

 

[crisi]

Great question, Autumn! If we don't get any answers here, maybe we could pose the question over on the CB for the locals there.

The problem today, as you know (and for many yesterdays), is that the no-kills get overloaded and they simply cannot take any more. I volunteer at one presently (and in the past) and I see this place having too many cats for the number of volunteers, but the kind lady who runs it has a hard time saying no. So she works until midnight to care for all the kitties. So sad.

So, for me, here is the rub. Which is worse: allowing cats to roam and reproduce, making the population even worse, or: if a no-kill slot is not available, taking them to the SPCA and risk the chance that the cat will be put down.

Honestly, as a cat (and actually all animals) lover, I struggle with that situation. In my heart, I don't want to see a cat put down and in my brain, I don't want to see them multiply.

So, we will find out the answer to your great question, eventually. Also, if I do get the name of no-kill shelters and the situation comes up that I do call when I am down there and they come, a nice donation to the shelter would be in order .

PS Autumn, we will be at SSR at the same time, as we are checking in 2 weeks from tomorrow. We will be on a mission together!

To me its really a shame that the no-kills try and make the kill shelters the bad guys. Unless they can take every animal that comes there way, they have no reason to complain about kill shelters. Its a hard choice, but it is the better of two options - when the resources are used up in shelters, you either kill them or let them go feral. Feral cats are bad for a number of reasons - they are bad because of health risks to humans like the aforementioned toxioplasmosis, they are bad for the ecosystem - killing songbirds and taking up a predator niche is supposed to be used by a native animal. And a feral animal may have a longer life than one that is killed, but it is likely to be a brutal life - and they are likely to die in pain after injury or illness. I'll take quality of life for my animals over quantity.

 

[Muushka]

To me its really a shame that the no-kills try and make the kill shelters the bad guys. Unless they can take every animal that comes there way, they have no reason to complain about kill shelters. Its a hard choice, but it is the better of two options - when the resources are used up in shelters, you either kill them or let them go feral. Feral cats are bad for a number of reasons - they are bad because of health risks to humans like the aforementioned toxioplasmosis, they are bad for the ecosystem - killing songbirds and taking up a predator niche is supposed to be used by a native animal. And a feral animal may have a longer life than one that is killed, but it is likely to be a brutal life - and they are likely to die in pain after injury or illness. I'll take quality of life for my animals over quantity.

I agree with you Crisi. That's the rub. I remember I found a pregnant cat hanging outside of a Burger King or something. I brought her to the SPCA and my dear friend just about strangled me for that. But to see her hungry and pregnant was so sad. I felt so guilty for that (didn't know that there might have been an alternative at that time) but the alternative (leaving her there) was not a choice for me. And working at the no-kill, I see the owner struggle to accept every single cat that comes in. It is not a good situation.

Why don't people get their animals neutered??????

 

[crisi]

Why don't people get their animals neutered??????

Though even there there are issues. We have a rescue dog and like most rescue dogs, the rescue agency neutered him. The Humane Society here neuters animals before they go home. They are neutering very young animals.

My dog isn't a good example - hip dysplasia, but why can't two good healthy mutts be let to breed and provide puppies for families? We live in an area where there is a puppy shortage - and your choices for puppies are either "unintentional mutts" or "overbred purebreds" or the horrible "designer mutts." I miss the days when someone's "good dog" had puppies - and I think its a shame that there are a bunch of great family pets out there whose line of "great family pets" is going to die out in favor of yippy pocket dogs and overbred Labs because the owners have "done the right thing." What makes a purebred Lab more entitled to provide puppies to the world?

Which isn't to say your unfixed pet should run loose and breed willy nilly. But why an indoor housecat can't be left unfixed so its an OPTION with a great pet to intentionally breed to try for great offspring - I think that is a shame.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We saw the little "tonga" kitten at the Poly in Feb (Feb 24). My girls fed him some bacon and were playing with him. He doesn't seem feral at all.

I am currently fostering a mom cat and kittens from a Philly SPCA. The overpopulation is insane. With the thousands of unwanted cats/dogs in this country, I feel all pets should be neutered. Of the five kittens, I have found homes for four. I still have the mom cat (who we named Perla) and her one remaining kitten (named Fauna and now 5 months old). I am struggling to find a home for this last kitten. I really cannot "afford" to keep them. Not for money reasons, but because we have 3 cats of our own. We never wanted anymore---just wanted to help strays. But now I am getting nervous. The mom cat despises my cats and our dog. There is no way I could keep her. There would be alot of fighting going on. We had both mom and kitten spayed last week. They are wormed.....all shots.... etc. Yet I am hard-pressed to find someone who will give these kitties a good home.

I spoke with the spca and they said if I return them, they will most likely be euthanized within 1-2 weeks because on any given day, they can get anywhere from 200-1,000 animals surrendered to their facility ! Some are given no more than 1-3 days and some go directly to get euthanized because they simply have no room. I was in shock.

I'm torn with letting the mom cat live outdoors and just feeding her and providing shelter vs giving her back to the spca. The long, harsh PA winters concern me though just as much as euthanasia does. I can't tell you how difficult a situation this is. I guess I just assumed I'd be able to adopt her out or give her to a no-kill shelter. Several have turned me away due to overcrowding. The kitten is getting bigger and soon she will not look like a kitten and noone seems to want a 6-12 month old kitten/cat. They all want the tiny little ones. I have fostered several kittens over the years so I'm not new to this. I have fostered feral kittens too. But this is the first time I've had this much trouble finding homes. I just can't see dropping them off at the spca where I'm fostering through knowing full well that the chance of both of them getting put to sleep is pretty high. I cared for them since May.....provided food/shelter/medical care (not to mention bonded and played with them) etc. If it was just to end up euthanizing them, then I will be so sad.

So I guess when I hear people saying they're willing to pay $300-$1,000K for a pedigree puppy or kitten I just don't get it. People who breed their pets over and over just doesn't make sense to "me". I know others see it differently. But this is just my humble opinion and I know full well many would disagree with me. It's just that there are so many wonderful animals sitting in cramped/dirty cages in spca's all over---literally sitting on "death row". When I decided to foster this mom and her five kittens, I can tell you they took me into a back room at the spca and what I saw literally brought my dd and I to tears. Cages/boxes/crates piled up 4 and 5 high. The particular litter I chose was picked by us because they were all cramped in a cage no bigger than an oversized shoe/boot box. The mom cat could not even sit up. She was forced to lie on her side and the kittens just nursed. All of them lying in their own urine. I can't even put it into words.......

 

[Muushka]

I agree Maria. So very sad. I hope you can find homes for your mama kitty and her kitten.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Thanks Muushka...I just put up a couple more posters in the past couple days. I think this is slow adoption time though....it might pick up around the holidays.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

We were staying at the WL in early September and were startled to see an adult cat climbing around on the "rocks" as we walked back to our room one evening. I guess that's not as unusual an experience as we thought. We called the front desk, who switched us to security. We left a message, and that was that.

 

[DisneyDivaMom]

Sometimes feeding the birds is out of our control. DM was eating an apple one day at EPCOT, when all the sudden a bird swooped down and took it from her.

Last Dec at Epcot, my dd and I were walking along behind a young family carrying trays of McDonalds food. They did not cover their trays and the birds were swooping down trying to get to their food. They were wondering why they were being attacked. I explained about people feeding the birds and causing the birds to become aggressive. I told them to cover their food and helped them by handing over the napkins we had to go with our snacks. There weren't quite enough napkins and I pulled out my stash of unused park maps from my backpack and handed those over as well. I see so many people feeding the birds at WDW because I guess it is fun and they really don't think about it becoming a problem for other guests.

 

[Ksp]

I know what you mean about the aggressive birds - cripes, sometimes I wonder what it takes for families to figure out that feeding the birds can/will lead to someone getting pecked. I cringe when I see parents give a french fry to a toddler to feed the pretty birds. So far, I haven't seen one actually pecked, but I have seen small children needing parental rescue to send the birds away. Sorry if this sounds grumpy - but it really does worry me when I see it happen.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I love Kittens...with mash potatoes and gravy and some nice peas.

 

[Mischa]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I love Kittens...with mash potatoes and gravy and some nice peas.

unfortunately, that sounds like something my dh would say.

 

[NedsTJ]

This past spring I had a mom and two kittens take up residence behind/under my shed. I contacted someone from the local SPCA (no-kill) and what they told me surprised me. They were filled to capacity with kittens. Absolutely had no more room for any more. What they do, however, is work with a network of volunteers who put out traps. They catch them, bring them in to be spayed/neutered and then release them back where they were caught. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) apparently is the next best solution to the overcrowding. The cat's learn to fend for themselves in the wild without breeding more cats. Shortly after this, I saw an "animal cops" episode about ppl doing this exact thing in New Orleans.
The story has a somewhat happy ending. A few weeks after first spotting them, the kittens turned up on my front porch one morning after a night of severe thunderstorms. No mom in sight (the mom has not been seen since). Following the advice from the "trapper" I placed out food and water for them to encourage them to stick around (so that they would be easier to catch). Unfortunately one of the kittens was killed by a car a few nights later. The other kitten was eventually trapped and actually found a home with someone who was going to socialize it.
I wouldn't be surprised if this strategy is being used to control the population in WDW.

 

[Mike©]

This past spring I had a mom and two kittens take up residence behind/under my shed. I contacted someone from the local SPCA (no-kill) and what they told me surprised me. They were filled to capacity with kittens. Absolutely had no more room for any more. What they do, however, is work with a network of volunteers who put out traps. They catch them, bring them in to be spayed/neutered and then release them back where they were caught. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) apparently is the next best solution to the overcrowding. The cat's learn to fend for themselves in the wild without breeding more cats. Shortly after this, I saw an "animal cops" episode about ppl doing this exact thing in New Orleans.
The story has a somewhat happy ending. A few weeks after first spotting them, the kittens turned up on my front porch one morning after a night of severe thunderstorms. No mom in sight (the mom has not been seen since). Following the advice from the "trapper" I placed out food and water for them to encourage them to stick around (so that they would be easier to catch). Unfortunately one of the kittens was killed by a car a few nights later. The other kitten was eventually trapped and actually found a home with someone who was going to socialize it.
I wouldn't be surprised if this strategy is being used to control the population in WDW.

This TNR program sounds great!

 

[Muushka]

I actually have adopted a TNR cat. She is feral, but I have won her over.

I have to say, she does have a great life. For the most part she lives outside. But after 8 years of hanging around our house (I did not realize she was homeless, poor thing) and 2 years of getting her to trust me, she spent last winter IN the house. She has a pet door (which is the only reason she will come in, knowing that she can escape) and comes and goes freely. Very affectionate (after a long time of trying to love on her), very healthy and NO LITTER BOX!!! Who could ask for anything more?

When I got her rabies shot (now that was interesting, poor vet) the vet explained to me what happened to the tip of her ear. They snip it so they can readily id the ones who have already been neutered.

Yes, TNR is a great plan.